Boston’s Musical Delight

It was a beautiful cacophony of music at the seventh and eighth grade Boston Middle School Pre-Contest Concert on the evening of Thursday, March 7, 2013. Parents, family, friends, and music lovers crowded into Boston’s auditorium to be wowed by how far the young musicians have come throughout the year.

“The students have done a wonderful job preparing for the concert tonight and the contest next week. In seventh grade, the students have had both in class rehearsals and rehearsals outside of the school day. In eighth grade the musicians all meet during the same class period, so we have been working exclusively on this repertoire since January,” band director Megan Sullivan said.

Sullivan began the evening by explaining that the concert was helping the students prepare for the upcoming ISSMA competition. From then on the band director was hushed as a band member introduced each musical piece.

First the seventh grade band took the stage all dressed in black and took a moment to tune their instruments. The audience anxiously waited to the humming sounds of a prepping musician. Once Sullivan raised her hand, the auditorium fell to a hush and the band wowed the audience with their renditions of: Soldiers’ Procession & Sword Dance, Lyric Prelude, and Kitty Hawk March.

Seventh grade student Nicole Garrett said, “I think we have practiced really well and as a result play really well.”

Next, the eighth grade band took the stage ready to impress in their second to last concert. The band performed Dark Adventure, Of Gentle Spirit, and Plaza de Toros.

Eighth grade band member Brandon Bellen gushed, “Rehearsing for the concert has been a lot of fun. This may be one of the last times some of us play together before high school. It is really special.”

Sullivan also expressed sentimental feelings towards her eighth grade group, “I am so happy for all of the accomplishments this group of eighth graders has made musically, academically, and in other school activities, but I still dread losing them to the high school next year!”

Each selected piece had a different cultural or historical meaning behind it. The purpose is to introduce the students to different types of music and show their range. The students have worked hard to master the varied pieces and their efforts were evident.

Sullivan commented, “I absolutely adore these students and their willingness to strive for excellence. They have grown to be more critical of their individual playing and it has helped increase the musicianship of the entire group.”

When the concert concluded the students were celebrated with a hearty round of applause as they took a bow. The bands practice every other day during school to reach a concert-ready level. Besides their seasonal concerts, students also compete in ISSMA Solo and Ensemble contests at LPHS. These competitions give students a chance to break away from the class and showcase a personally selected piece. Also, the band cohesively competes in the ISSMA Organizational Contest.

On Friday, March 15, 2013 the band will compete in such a contest. They will be scored by three judges and earn either a Gold, Silver, or Bronze award. The final concert of the year will be on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at Boston Middle School at 6:30 pm.

Check out more photos from the rest of the concert!